The present invention relates generally to a new and unique external configuration for a maintenance termination unit for use with a telecommunications system. More specifically, the invention relates to a maintenance termination unit module contained within a housing having a standard 5-pin modular configuration so that the termination unit can be inserted or plugged into sockets of the type constructed to accept existing telecommunications equipment housed in similar 5-pin modules.
The circuit construction and operation of maintenance termination units and network interface devices are well known to those skilled in the relevant art. Briefly, the maintenance termination units are used to detect the location of a fault in a telecommunications network up to the point of insertion of the unit into the telecommunications network. The maintenance termination unit has become an important tool to telecommunications companies in recent times due to the fact that many telecommunications firms do not own all of the equipment in or connected to a telecommunications network.
Currently, many users of telecommunications networks own their own telecommunications equipment, and some even own the telecommunications transmission lines leading to their individual locations. Thus, it is important for the telecommunications company to know who owns the faulty portion of the telecommunications network.
By inserting a maintenance termination unit into the telecommunications network, the network can be evaluated and a determination can be made as to whether the fault in the network exists up to that point. Thus, the maintenance termination units are often inserted at the point of demarcation between that portion of the telecommunications network owned by the end user and that portion of the network owned by the telecommunications company. In this manner, the telecommunications company can determine where the fault resides, and who is responsible for the repair. This is desirable due to the high costs attendant with repairs to telecommunications networks.
All maintenance termination units are capable of doing this. However, the insertion of the units of the prior art into the telecommunications network can be quite tedious and time consuming. One such unit is shown in FIG. 2.
The maintenance termination units of the type shown in FIG. 2 are encapsulated within a housing by means of an encapsulating material, well known by those skilled in the relevant art. The housing holds a maintenance termination unit printed circuit board bearing the appropriate circuitry, well known in the art. Connections to the printed circuit board project from the housing in the form of wires which terminate at terminal lugs engagable with binding posts which are connectable with the telecommunications network.
Use of the maintenance termination units of the prior art, however, has encountered numerous drawbacks. Because of the use of the terminal lugs and binding posts, the maintenance termination unit must be manually connected into the telecommunications network. This connection process takes time, and is thus labor intensive, thereby resulting in higher repair costs.
Also, because the terminal lugs are external and are connected to the maintenance termination unit by a length of wire, a substantial amount of space is required to connect the unit into the telecommunications network. This presents great difficulty when dealing with a network in which space is at a premium and that already comprises a great number of components housed in a limited amount of space.
Additionally, because the terminal lugs and connecting wires are external of the housing, there is a possibility that they will be damaged in storage, transport, or during use. The maintenance termination unit module, constructed according to the teachings of the present invention, alleviates many of these drawbacks.